You and No Other [Mass Market Paperback]

Cathy Maxwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

The constraints of quiet widowhood have become too much for Lady Caroline Pearson to bear—especially now that her brother-in law has idiotically, and illegally, gambled away her house. Boldly, she confronts the new owner in person. But not only does the dashing rogue, James Ferrington, refuse to return Caroline's deed, he tries to take scandalous advantage of her as well.

Sheepish and repentant, James arrives on Caroline's doorstep to make amends— unaware that the young widow and her eccentric aunt are intent on retaliation. James merely meant to seduce a bewitching minx and have done with it—and, suddenly, he's a kidnapped prisoner in Caroline's cellar. But most shocking of all, James realizes that he has no desire whatsoever to be free—for the audacious Caroline has inflamed his senses, destroyed his reason . . . and completely captured his heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When the deed to her house is gambled away by her dissolute brother-in-law, Lady Caroline Pearson appeals to the new owner's sense of justice and requests the return of her home. James Ferrington's senses are definitely affected by her appeal, as this Regency period Cinderella story, complete with four eccentric godmothers, careens from seduction in a carriage to missed communications, slapstick physical altercations and the playful kidnapping of Ferrington. A series of scandals that seem too easily forgiven by rigid Regency society complicates already convoluted proceedings, while Caroline and James spar in lightning mood changes. Maxwell substitutes this whirlwind of activity for real character development and an abrupt end leaves the reader unsatisfied. This energetic romp misses the mark but entertains along the way.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A fabulous novel created by an author who understands the human heart and whose stories touch our souls." -- -- Romantic Times

"If you want a fun read, this book is for you!" -- -- Robin Lee Hatcher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380787164
• ISBN-13: 978-0380787166
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling novelist Cathy Maxwell, a storyteller since childhood, embraces her writing romance as a way to express her belief that "loving well is the greatest adventure of all," and to explore her fascination with the Regency period.

The author of twenty-five historical romance novels and four novellas Cathy's latest THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL, the fifth of her Scandal and Seduction novels, has just been published. The others, also set in the Regency period, are quintessential Cathy Maxwell--traditional historicals with a contemporary sensibility and a touch of humor. They are A Seduction at Christmas, The Marriage Ring, The Earl Claims His Wife, and His Christmas Pleasure. Each has appeared for multiple weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.


Cathy received recognition from the start with her first novel, All Things Beautiful. Published in 1994, it was nominated for Best First Book by the Romance Writers of America and for Best First Historical by Romantic Times magazine. It also received first place recognition as Best Read of 1994 from the Reader's Voice

Born in Olathe, Kansas, Cathy's family roots go back to the Mayflower and the Revolutionary War. She has long called Virginia home, noting she is "a Virginian by choice, but a Kansan by nature." She worked in television news and spent six years in the Navy. She attended Air Force intelligence school, worked in the Pentagon and did a tour with Naval Intelligence.

Cathy began her writing career in 1991. Now, twenty years later, she is the author of sixteen national bestsellers and her novels appear regularly on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Her books include In the Highlander's Bed, Bedding the Heiress, In the Bed of a Duke, The Price of Indiscretion, Temptation of a Proper Governess, and The Seduction of an English Lady. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, Virginia Romance Writers, and Novelists Inc., and she is a frequent speaker at writers' conferences, libraries and special events.

She lives in rural Powhatan County with her rescued dogs Rico and Maya and with her son during college breaks, and is just a few miles from her horses, Duncan and Dinero.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Read!!, October 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: You and No Other (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this one by accident. I zipped through this one in 2 days. It was difficult to put down at the end of my lunch hours. I even found myself reading at home when I had a few minutes then before bed. Anticipating the next day to get back into the story. The character development and involvement was intriguing and well done. I had a smile on my face throughout the book and was sad to see it end. Really looking forward to more of her books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Cover and Title Are Quite Appealing..., January 3, 2006

By 

Bridget "B.A.D.T." (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You and No Other (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read a few novels by Cathy Maxwell this past year - Because of You (excellent), Treasured Vows (not bad), The Price of Indiscretion (pretty good), The Lady is Tempted (really, really good) and Falling in Love Again (my least favorite so far). I think this author is good at telling interesting stories and bringing characters to life.

This book, You and No Other, was fun as it profiled a 30 year old widowed woman with no children and that of a long standing confirmed bachelor. Caroline and James meet up and begin an interesting on again and off again attraction when her brother in law looses the deed to her house in a card game. The deed of course belongs now to James. Then it is up to Caroline to get it back so, she and her aunt and friends have a place to call home.
The interaction between the main characters is solid and believable.

I would have liked that James took a little longer to figure out how much he likes and loves Caroline as I felt he declared himself each time too soon. In turn, Caroline took a bit long to trust and learn to love James than was necessary. Like one of the critics, I felt the plot was busy in many ways and the main characters didn't get as deeply developed as I would have liked. Developments to the plot kept you busy but, it would have been preferrable to spend more time on the relationship, emotions and so on. The side characters of the aunt and her trio of society fallen friends is probably the most charming part of the book. The author did make the scandals each of these friends encountered look acceptable in a time when they would have stayed outcasts for all they did - not get accepted back to society as they did.

The humor is slight and simple but, worthy to note. Passionate love scenes are often few in Ms. Maxwell's books so, if that's what you need - this one isn't for you. If you like detailed stories with easy to follow and believable plots - this is a solid read.

Although I liked Because of You by far the most of all her novel series and The Lady is Tempted as second best, You and No Other still warrants some praise. I would have liked to give 3 ½ stars but, it's not an option. It wasn't quite to four stars standard. I look forward to other books by Ms. Maxwell as her characters are interesting, memorable and the story line always develops well. If you haven't read her yet, time to do so. She's a good choice. Enjoy!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars entertaining but flawed, June 12, 2006

By 

Kay Argyle (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You and No Other (Mass Market Paperback)

The pursuit for love may be eternal, but social values change. The acceptance shown to Aunt Minerva and her racy friends is as historically out of place as a zipper on a corset. Parents of daughters in a young ladies' school of the period would regard Minerva, and by association, Caroline, with more horror and less tolerance than modern parents would a known child molester living with one of the teachers.

The pacing is swift, occasionally to the point of being jerky; sometimes the characters seem to be moving in fast forward. The brother-in-law Freddie appears and disappears and seems to have little purpose in the book other than as part of an homage to the Georgette Heyer novel Faro's Daughter. The borrowed plot elements seem grafted on, instead of arising naturally out of the characters' personalities and motivations.

That said, the book is amusing and highly readable. If you don't object to (or if you even prefer) historicals consisting of contemporary characters in period costume, you will enjoy it.

Something that hopefully Amazon will fix -- as of this writing, 13 of the 18 reviews are repeats. It makes the rating misleading; two-thirds of the average is one person's opinion.